Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus, was the largest "stadium" in history and at its height held between 250,000 and 300,000 spectators. 

To the people of the Roman world, a circus (Latin for circle) was a large open-air structure that was often used for chariot racetracks and doubled as a general entertainment venue.  With a track dimension of 540 by 80 meters, the Circus Maximus (meaning greatest/largest) was one of the center pieces of the Roman love of entertainment for the masses.  From circa 599 BCE to 549 CE this huge structure treated the people of Rome to massive events that thrilled the spectators. Chariot races involved teams of four, six, eight or twelve horses with the charioteers risking lif and limb for the fleeting fame that victory provided.  While four horse chariot races between the Blue, Green, Red and White teams were the most famous and popular events, a huge variety of venues occurred in Roman circuses.  Races of exotic animals, from camels to elephants were fascinating ways to keep the masses entertained. A variety of animal acts and even gladiator events often occurred at a circus while at the Circus Maximus these would be more massive and expensive. As with many Roman entertainments, attending the Circus Maximus was free of charge as an entertained and happy populous was a cornerstone of the Roman governments way to control the masses. 

The Roman Amphitheater

>Verona Amphitheater
One of the true hallmarks of every Roman city was the amphitheater. They were essential for the "games" that were used to entertain the populous. The wealth of a city was always evident in the size and quality of its amphitheater.

>the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum) the height of Roman design.










Elevators were a Roman invention that made the "games" ever more exciting as animal, gladiators and even fake volcanoes could be made to appear directly out the bowels of the very earth. The layout of the elevators is clearly evident in this amphitheater in Napoli.

Through This Portal

The main entrance to heated swimming area of a Roman Baths was the portal to the daily ritual of cleanliness and community interaction. Thousands of feet per day for centuries entering though this doorway have worn the granite lintel into a smooth curve. One can only imagine what the baths looked like in the glory days of the empire when visiting the baths was a civic responsibility of all citizens.

Roman Flushing Toliets

Artist drawing of the toliets in the Theatre of Pompey in Rome. This was a 100 seat toliet complex.

Seats at the Roman Port City of Osta, Italy.

Toilets from Roman controlled Corinth, Greece

Sewer drainage line at the baths in Wroexeter, England

Romans were very proud of their public toilets that used running water to flush away the human waste into sewers. The seats were open to each other, approximately 46 cm apart, to encourage communication among the users. These were unisex toilets so your neighbor to one side might be male and female to the other. Toilet paper was unknown, instead you used a sponge on a stick that you dipped in fresh water, cleaned yourself and replaced for the next user.

In the last picture I find it very interesting that 1900 years ago the Romans at Wroxeter had flushing toilets while those visiting the historic site today have to use the port-a-pot seen in the background.

The Hypocaust-Radiant Floor Heating 1st Century Style

Hypocaust (Heat from Below) was a Roman engineering design that was used to heat both public and private buildings throughout the empire. The floor was raised on brick pillars and ventilation flues were built into the walls. Heat via a fire was produced and allowed to flow under the floors and out the flues heating the entire area through the floor. This radiant heat is clean and efficient. With the fall of Rome in the 5th Century, this technique of heating homes through the floor was lost in the Western World until the late 20th Century.

These pictures are of the remains of the hypocaust system found in the great baths of Wroxeter England.

Wroxeter-the Roman City of Viroconium Cornoviorum

Once the fourth largest Roman city in England, Vircoconium Cornoviorum was a civic and military center for more than three centuries. It has been called one of the best examples of Roman 2nd century town design and was the capital of Cornovii Briton. With the fall of the Empire, the Roman government and military presence here ceased and other cities grew in importance while Vircoconium's declined. The city was abandoned in the late 5th or early 6th centuries. Over time virtually the entire city was dismantled for its building materials. Today all that remains is one partial wall of the baths and the ruins of below ground walls of some of the cities buildings

All The Glory That Was Rome

Main entrance to the baths of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroexter UK).

This is all that remains of the Roman baths in Wroxter. At one time these ruins were the height of Roman engineering design with hot and cold pools, underfloor heating and flushing toilets. As befit a major city of the Empire, the baths were massive being able to serve up to 1000 people at a time.

After the fall of the Empire, the baths were abandoned as the barbarian conquerors had no need for such sophisticated social cleanliness. Over time the baths were demolished not by war, rather they were literally taken apart piece by piece to be used as construction material in nearby villages and farms.